Every Wednesday during the summer, in partnership with CoGard, we discover these birds that populate the region.
“I will not sleep any more, any more, any more on this vine!”, this is what the nightingale Philomela sings (Luscinia megarhynchos i am not latin Rossinho in Occitan) according to the ancients who listened attentively to the song of birds to invent stories and songs.
Listen to the bird’s song!
It is certainly the most named bird in folk tales and songs. It is said that one spring night, it fell asleep on a vine branch. The tendrils of the vine grew so quickly that night, that the nightingale woke up in the morning, its legs imprisoned by the plant. It is since that time that the nightingale sings at night!
120 to 160 different sound sequences
The nightingale is indeed famous for being a great singer despite being a bird only 15 cm tall. It is said that it sings, that it nibbles, that it quirks or that it trills! According to scientists, it has 120 to 260 different sound sequences and can sing up to 90 decibels when it comes out of its beak. But the curious observer will have to be very patient to try to see it because it is most often hidden in the thickets.
A population in sharp decline
The nightingale feeds on insects throughout the year and supplements its diet with fruits and seeds. Its population has fallen since the 1980s, due to the massive use of plant protection products for intensive agriculture and the loss of hedges. It is said that its trills heal the pains of the human soul and accelerate healing.
It is high time to go and listen to the song of the nightingale, to rediscover the bond that we once had with these winged companions of life and to act for their protection.
